Chapter 45: Bankai Kaikin: Forbidden Realm
"What's happening? It suddenly got dark." "Is it going to rain?" "I didn't hear anything about rain today…"
The villagers of Konoha looked up at the sky in confusion. The heavens had dimmed without warning, shrouding the village in a somber gray.
But to those with experience, something felt off. There was no trace of moisture in the air, no chill that heralded a coming storm. The humidity hadn't changed; even the ache in their joints remained still.
Instead, the air felt dry—parched. Each breath caught in their throats, sharp and thin, as if the atmosphere itself had been stripped of life.
The elite ninja were the first to notice it. Their instincts screamed danger. They lifted their gazes toward the blackened heavens—yet saw nothing.
Those gifted with the Byakugan and Sharingan sensed far more. Their eyes widened at what they perceived, but before any could speak, their clan elders raised a hand in warning.
The elders' gazes shifted toward the Hokage Building, then up to the divine figure suspended in the sky. Slowly, silently, they closed their doors.
They knew what they were seeing. They felt it. But as Konoha shinobi, they could not act before the Hokage did. That was the code—the foundation of the village. To break it was to defy order itself.
And so, while the villagers trembled beneath a false sky, none realized that the crushing pressure above was not meant for them.
Its weight was directed not at Konoha as a whole… but at a few specific individuals within it.
---
"Uchiha Kagami's power…" Orochimaru muttered under his breath, staring at the whitehaired figure standing midair. "How did Aizen accomplish this…?"
His analytical mind raced, measuring the scale of energy before him—and even he felt a chill of awe. Uchiha Kagami's presence now was something beyond human comprehension.
But Orochimaru did not speak further. Aizen, who stood calmly at his side, neither flinched nor frowned.
As the guest here, Orochimaru knew better than to interrupt.
Aizen looked utterly composed, his demeanor unshaken by the godlike power that filled the heavens.
"Since we are companions," Aizen said casually, "it's only fair I provide a demonstration. The current state of Uchiha Kagami… is what I refer to as another form of immortality—the transformation into a Shinigami."
He spoke without even glancing at the sky. Instead, he spread a scroll across the table, adjusting his glasses as if lecturing a student.
"Here, I documented this theory," he said softly. "Through twenty one soul surgeries and one's own spiritual fixation, the human soul can evolve into a higher existence—one capable of manipulating energy beyond chakra. This form is what I—"
"Aizen!"
The sharp voice cut through his words like thunder.
Uchiha Kagami's voice carried the weight of judgment itself. "Your time of arrogance and dominance over Konoha ends now. I will deliver justice!"
Aizen sighed, his tone faintly amused. "Interrupting someone midsentence is a bad habit, Kagamikun."
Before Kagami could react, lightning split the air.
In an instant, the sky erupted with power. A blinding surge of force slammed into Kagami, his body convulsing as he crashed to one knee. His breath hitched; his limbs trembled.
Then—as quickly as it had appeared—the invisible pressure vanished.
The villagers below saw nothing. They only saw Aizen gently adjust his glasses, his face a picture of mild embarrassment.
"Ah… my apologies," Aizen said sincerely. "It seems I lost control for a moment. Finding the perfect drop of water in the ocean to trap an insect without killing it—it's quite difficult, you see. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Kagamikun."
Kagami gasped, clutching his chest. "H Hateful…!"
He stared at Aizen in disbelief, veins bulging in his temples. How…?
Was Aizen's power truly greater than Uchiha Madara's?
That brief moment—just a heartbeat—had felt as though his very soul was about to shatter.
It was impossible. Aizen Sosuke was a mere man in his twenties. He should not possess such dominion—such sheer authority over existence.
After killing Uchiha Madara, Kagami had awakened to the power of Bankai, his soul refined beyond the limits of mortal understanding. He had believed he had touched the divine.
Yet before Aizen… he couldn't even stand.
A single glance, a mere flicker of will—and he was crushed.
Had Aizen left something inside him during the soul transformation? Some hidden curse, a restraint woven into his very essence?
Facing Uchiha Kagami's furious gaze, Aizen smiled kindly and said, "If possible, Kagami kun, I'd prefer you not to use your abilities so impulsively."
He looked up at the figure hovering in the sky, his tone as patient as a teacher lecturing a stubborn student. To Aizen, Kagami resembled a restless animal in a cage—one that inspired pity more than threat.
"It takes quite a bit of energy for me to make the puppet perform the way I want," Aizen continued with a faint, amused smile. "So please, don't act too much on your own. It disrupts the balance of the performance. You still need to show your Bankai and your Mangekyō Sharingan, don't you?"
"Aizen! You've known all along, haven't you? You left something inside me!"
"Anger won't make you stronger, Kagamikun. And no," Aizen said calmly, pushing up his glasses. "I left nothing within you. You were simply far too predictable."
"…!"
Grinding his teeth, Kagami's fury dimmed into grim realization. He finally understood—everything had been orchestrated from the start.
From his awakening of the Sharingan to the birth of his Bankai… Aizen had known it all.
But surely—even Aizen couldn't grasp the true scope of his power. The Mangekyō Sharingan and Bankai together could not be fully measured. Otherwise, Aizen wouldn't stand there, watching him so casually.
Kagami drew a deep breath, his voice cold. "You're right, Aizen. Anger is pointless."
He slowly covered his eyes with his hand, exhaling softly.
"I've thought about this for a long time. You once said I lack the will to kill you. That's true. I couldn't find a reason to."
His voice lowered, steady as the still air before a storm.
"But I found my ancestor, Uchiha Madara… and he gave me the answer I was missing."
"Sometimes, hatred needs no reason. Sometimes, killing has no justification. When facing someone like you, Aizen… I don't need a reason."
An invisible wave rippled through the air, spreading outward from Kagami's body.
The sky darkened. Ash began to fall like snow, gray and silent.
Aizen merely smiled.
In that fractured world, under a sky of decay, Uchiha Kagami lowered his hand. His Sharingan spun faster, the tomoe merging into a triangular pattern that glowed crimson.
"Aizen," he said softly, his voice resonating through the heavens, "I'm going to kill you."
He stood tall, surrounded by swirling embers. His spiritual pressure distorted the air.
"It's not because you're evil, or because the world needs saving. It's because I decided to."
"I don't claim to stand for justice or truth. I don't understand your transcendence or your technology. I don't even know what your research means for the world."
"But I do know this—arrogance blinds people to their own flaws. My ancestor, Uchiha Madara, taught me that much before I killed him with my own hands."
He opened his eyes fully, their scarlet glow piercing the gloom.
"Sometimes, you don't need logic to kill. Sometimes, wanting it is enough."
The moment those words fell, Kagami's eyes blazed.
His Mangekyō Sharingan twisted—and the sky itself changed color.
The heavens turned ashen, the ground dimmed, and the air thickened with heat. From beyond the clouds, a deep rumble echoed—followed by a cascade of light and shadow.
This was the true essence of his Bankai.
"Bankai—Kaikin: Forbidden Realm."
The world unfolded in shades of gray and crimson.
What fell from the sky were not snowflakes but glowing embers—soft, warm, and fleeting. They landed on the villagers' palms, flickered for a heartbeat, and crumbled into ash.
Everyone in Konoha—ninja and civilian alike—looked up in silent awe.
High above, layers of phantom buildings emerged within the clouds, their outlines flickering like mirages.
"What is that…?" "A sea of fire? A dream?" "I don't know… but it's… familiar."
The structures burned slowly, collapsing in streaks of flame. As more detail came into focus, realization struck every heart.
The Hokage Office. The Ichiraku Ramen shop. The academy. The broken faces of the Hokage Monument—each crumbling into ash.
Everything they knew—everything they were—was burning above them.
A Konoha engulfed in flames.
A village of dreams, reflected as ruin.
Veteran shinobi—those who had survived the First and Second Wars—fell silent, their hands trembling. None dared to speak. None dared to move.
They simply stared, eyes wide, as their sky mirrored their end.
Konoha was burning.
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